1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
- This play takes place in the later months of 1942 in Los Angeles, CA and goes through the events that occurred over the next three years in the life of the main character, Henry Reyna, during this time. Reyna and his gang (the 38th Street gang), mostly comprised of Mexican-American young adults, are convicted of murder and put on trial after a night at the Sleepy Lagoon when another young Mexican-American was killed. The story is centered around how they deal with racism and discrimination during a time when the country is at war and there is much civil unrest. Henry deals with his identity as an American as well as his attempts to be a "Pachuco" and struggles to decide his reactions and who he wants to be as a person. A few main characters other than Henry are: George and Alice (caseworkers), Della (love interest), The Pachucho (imaginary form of a Latino badass which Henry struggles to be like), and Rudy (his little brother).
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
- The stasis occurs when Henry and the gang are convicted guilty for the murder charges and are ultimately sent to jail. In prison, Henry is forced to fight his internal conflict as he is mostly left alone with his thoughts.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
- This is the day that Henry is arrested and begins the fight against discrimination of Mexican-Americans in the country.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
- The main question throughout the play is whether or not Henry and the 38th Street Gang will be able to overcome the previous conviction with an appeal and ultimately be able to overcome the very unjust system.
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
- In the beginning, Henry wants to serve America by joining the Navy in order to stay out of trouble and show his patriotism at the same time. This is prevented because of his arrest, even though he was supposed to leave soon (me v society). Another want that Henry has is to begin a long term relationship with Della, his main love interest throughout the play, but again this is prevented after the night of Sleepy Lagoon, although he does end up with her later in the story (me v society/ other individuals?). While in jail, Henry wants to believe that they can win the appeal and the gang will be released, but is stopped by his mentality that there is no hope because society will always discriminate against non-Caucasian people (me v myself/ fate). Also while in jail, he wants to believe that there could be something small between he and Alice, one of his caseworkers, but is halted because he is in jail, still has feelings for Della, and himself as he tries to deal with all of his emotions (me v myself/ natural forces).
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
- One of the most theatrical moments that I recognized was when Henry was fighting the head of the Downey Gang, another Latino gang which was a rival to the 38th Street Gang. I found it very theatrical when Henry had pinned the guy down and everything froze around him in order to make a decision of killing him and being the infamous guy or letting him go. The Pachuco was there to assist Henry in the decision of letting him go which ultimately came back to him later in the form of the Downey Gang attacking him. Another very intense moment that I found interesting was when the sailors ganged up on The Pachuco to beat him and strip his clothes (a zoot suit) off of him. This was a very theatrical in that Henry sees this and is unable to do anything even though the man is so vulnerable.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
- An obvious image throughout the play which connects to the title is that of the zoot suit. A common style during WW2 for teens of all ethnicities and backgrounds, the clothing style had an overall connotation to the older generation as something that rebellious teens wear. To the people wearing the style however, there is a feeling of power and sense of attractiveness attached to the style. The suit is referenced throughout the play as both ideas, and is very important to the plot line in that it is how Mexican-Americans are picked out to be radicalized. Another image that could be recognized is that of The Pachuco himself. He is present throughout the play as someone only Henry can see and interact with in order to make decisions that are important to how Henry is viewed to everyone around him. This is important to Henry because he struggles trying to be like The Pachuco and a regular guy a the same time. A third image is the slang the the young adults use throughout the play. It represents the mixture of culture from immigrant parents clinging to their background and at the same time, blending into the primarily English speaking America.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
- Many large themes present throughout the play are: racism/ prejudice, gang violence, Latino culture during the 1940's, conflict in one's identity, Fate, and the importance of style in presenting yourself.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
- Family is present in many forms throughout this play. The most obvious is biological family. Although Henry's parents do not agree with everything he and his siblings do, they support them in their decisions as adults and wish the best for them. Another form is that of chosen family. The culture is very connected in the Latino communities due to being so close together and being almost like a whole separate community from actual America. Gangs are also a form of family shown throughout the play. The boys and girls in gangs feel very close and protect each other at all costs which is something typically present in blood relations. These different formations of "family" affect Henry as the play goes on and influences him in different ways when he is in contact with them.
1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Zoot Suit. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?”
- This play takes place in the later months of 1942 in Los Angeles, CA and goes through the events that occurred over the next three years in the life of the main character, Henry Reyna, during this time. Reyna and his gang (the 38th Street gang), mostly comprised of Mexican-American young adults, are convicted of murder and put on trial after a night at the Sleepy Lagoon when another young Mexican-American was killed. The story is centered around how they deal with racism and discrimination during a time when the country is at war and there is much civil unrest. Henry deals with his identity as an American as well as his attempts to be a "Pachuco" and struggles to decide his reactions and who he wants to be as a person. A few main characters other than Henry are: George and Alice (caseworkers), Della (love interest), The Pachucho (imaginary form of a Latino badass which Henry struggles to be like), and Rudy (his little brother).
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
- The stasis occurs when Henry and the gang are convicted guilty for the murder charges and are ultimately sent to jail. In prison, Henry is forced to fight his internal conflict as he is mostly left alone with his thoughts.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor which is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
- This is the day that Henry is arrested and begins the fight against discrimination of Mexican-Americans in the country.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
- The main question throughout the play is whether or not Henry and the 38th Street Gang will be able to overcome the previous conviction with an appeal and ultimately be able to overcome the very unjust system.
5. Use Henry to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, ie. The dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Wedding Band the wants of Julia are in flux. They change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles.
- In the beginning, Henry wants to serve America by joining the Navy in order to stay out of trouble and show his patriotism at the same time. This is prevented because of his arrest, even though he was supposed to leave soon (me v society). Another want that Henry has is to begin a long term relationship with Della, his main love interest throughout the play, but again this is prevented after the night of Sleepy Lagoon, although he does end up with her later in the story (me v society/ other individuals?). While in jail, Henry wants to believe that they can win the appeal and the gang will be released, but is stopped by his mentality that there is no hope because society will always discriminate against non-Caucasian people (me v myself/ fate). Also while in jail, he wants to believe that there could be something small between he and Alice, one of his caseworkers, but is halted because he is in jail, still has feelings for Della, and himself as he tries to deal with all of his emotions (me v myself/ natural forces).
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Zoot Suit. There are more than one.
- One of the most theatrical moments that I recognized was when Henry was fighting the head of the Downey Gang, another Latino gang which was a rival to the 38th Street Gang. I found it very theatrical when Henry had pinned the guy down and everything froze around him in order to make a decision of killing him and being the infamous guy or letting him go. The Pachuco was there to assist Henry in the decision of letting him go which ultimately came back to him later in the form of the Downey Gang attacking him. Another very intense moment that I found interesting was when the sailors ganged up on The Pachuco to beat him and strip his clothes (a zoot suit) off of him. This was a very theatrical in that Henry sees this and is unable to do anything even though the man is so vulnerable.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Zoot Suit. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
- An obvious image throughout the play which connects to the title is that of the zoot suit. A common style during WW2 for teens of all ethnicities and backgrounds, the clothing style had an overall connotation to the older generation as something that rebellious teens wear. To the people wearing the style however, there is a feeling of power and sense of attractiveness attached to the style. The suit is referenced throughout the play as both ideas, and is very important to the plot line in that it is how Mexican-Americans are picked out to be radicalized. Another image that could be recognized is that of The Pachuco himself. He is present throughout the play as someone only Henry can see and interact with in order to make decisions that are important to how Henry is viewed to everyone around him. This is important to Henry because he struggles trying to be like The Pachuco and a regular guy a the same time. A third image is the slang the the young adults use throughout the play. It represents the mixture of culture from immigrant parents clinging to their background and at the same time, blending into the primarily English speaking America.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Zoot Suit.
- Many large themes present throughout the play are: racism/ prejudice, gang violence, Latino culture during the 1940's, conflict in one's identity, Fate, and the importance of style in presenting yourself.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with the dramatic action in Zoot Suit?
- Family is present in many forms throughout this play. The most obvious is biological family. Although Henry's parents do not agree with everything he and his siblings do, they support them in their decisions as adults and wish the best for them. Another form is that of chosen family. The culture is very connected in the Latino communities due to being so close together and being almost like a whole separate community from actual America. Gangs are also a form of family shown throughout the play. The boys and girls in gangs feel very close and protect each other at all costs which is something typically present in blood relations. These different formations of "family" affect Henry as the play goes on and influences him in different ways when he is in contact with them.